Posts Tagged ‘Water’
A Great Day for Virginia Streams
Yesterday, advocates for clean water won a major court victory in Virginia. Under a court order, A&G Coal will be the first coal company in Virginia required to get a permit for their discharges of toxic selenium. U.S. District Judge James P. Jones ruled that because the company did not tell regulators that they might…
Read MoreCourt Rules to Protect Virginia Rivers and Streams from Mining Pollution: A & G Coal to be Held Responsible for Unpermitted Discharges of Toxic Selenium
Contact: Matt Hepler, SAMS, 276-565-6167, mhepler24@gmail.com Kim Teplitzky, Sierra Club, 412-802-6161, kim.teplitzky@sierraclub.org Erin Savage, Appalachian Voices, 828-262-1500, erin@appvoices.org Appalachia, Va. – The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia ruled Monday that A & G Coal is responsible for discharging toxic selenium from their Kelly Branch mine into nearby Callahan Creek. The Court…
Read MoreCourt Victory for Clean Water in Kentucky: The Battle Continues
Last week, an attempt by the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet to toss concerned citizens out of court failed. Judge Phillip Shepherd denied a motion to dismiss our challenge of a settlement between Frasure Creek Mining and the cabinet. Appalachian Voices and our partners KFTC, Kentucky Riverkeeper and Waterkeeper Alliance, will now be allowed to…
Read MoreTenn. Tuesday: Energy Savings! Victories!
…HaslamConnectedLobbyistSellingPublicLandstoCoalCompanies! OH MY!! Good morning, and welcome to your Tennessee Tuesday, our weekly holler from your Tennessee hills. Drop us a note in the comments to say hello, let us know a bit about yourself, what you’re interested in and what stories we might be missing. It’s been a busy couple of weeks for the…
Read MoreAppalachian Voices and Partners Challenge Kentucky’s Backroom Deal With Coal Company
Yesterday, Appalachian Voices and our partner organizations filed a “petition for review”, essentially an appeal of a settlement between Frasure Creek Mining and the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet. This settlement lets Frasure Creek off the hook for thousands of water quality violations over the past two years, while doing little to ensure that the…
Read MoreKentuckians Challenge Cabinet’s Order for Failing to Protect Clean Water from Coal Pollution
Resources Citizen’s petition for review (May 2013) Citizens’ Objection Letter (Jan 2013) Cabinet and Frasure’s Agreed Order FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Appalachian Voices * Kentuckians For The Commonwealth * Kentucky Riverkeeper * Waterkeeper Alliance CONTACTS: • Eric Chance, Appalachian Voices, 828-262-1500, eric@appvoices.org • Pat Banks, Kentucky Riverkeeper, 859-200-7442, kyriverkeeper@eku.edu • Peter Harrison, Waterkeeper Alliance, 828-582-0422, pharrison@waterkeeper.org…
Read MoreKentucky’s Lab Certification- Is it strong enough?
Yesterday, Appalachian Voices submitted public comments on a proposed wastewater lab certification program in Kentucky. To discharge polluted water, coal companies must receive a permit under the Clean Water Act. This permit that requires companies to test wastewater and report the data to ensure it falls within the limits of the permit. In Kentucky, there…
Read MoreEPA Releases Proposal To Update Clean Water Act Standards for Power Plant Pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has finally proposed a range of options to regulate waste water from power plants which are responsible for half of the nation’s water pollution. While the public comment period has yet to begin, a public hearing is schedule for July 9th in Washington, DC. More details on the rule itself,…
Read MoreNorth Carolina Cares About Clean Water
By Ian Watkins Red, White and Water Intern, Spring 2013 According to a recent report by Land for Tomorrow, 91 percent of residents in North Carolina and surrounding states believe it is “important” or “very important” to conserve and protect water and other natural resources. Additionally, a 2002 publication of the N.C. State Economist it…
Read MoreHelp Protect Kentucky’s Fish from Toxic Selenium
The Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet is currently attempting to significantly weaken the state’s water quality standards for selenium. Selenium is a pollutant common at some coal mines that deforms and kills aquatic life. It bioaccumulates, increasing in concentration as it moves up the food chain, affecting larger fish and aquatic birds. At higher levels,…
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